With this 2008 release, the Quatuor Stanislas completes its cycle of the six string quartets of Joseph-Guy Ropartz, in a manner more or less consistent with its two previous releases for Timpani. Ropartz was a pupil of César Franck and Vincent d'Indy, and their influence shows in the String Quartet No. 1 in G minor (1893), which was composed shortly after Franck's only venture in the genre, the String Quartet in D major, and d'Indy's String Quartet No. 1. Reflecting his teachers' fascination with the late quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven, the youthful Ropartz aimed for a similar expansiveness in form and depth of expression, but it is clear that he over-reached and produced a rather rambling student work that is more a labored exercise in chromatic counterpoint and sonata form than a profound revelation of genius. This cumbersome work is paired with the unpublished Fantaisie brève (1892), which Ropartz composed on a theme of his friend and fellow student, Albéric Magnard, and which has much of the same earnestness and discursiveness of the String Quartet No. 1. This album could be taken at face value as a charming excursion into the less familiar byways of French chamber music were it not for the mixed performance of the ensemble, which veers back and forth between an adequate presentation and unacceptable execution, most often in its sloppy intonation and lackluster tone. Getting acquainted with these problematic works is made more complicated by the Stanislas' less-than-committed playing, and if the group couldn't muster enough enthusiasm and alertness for this project, listeners may well wonder why they should. Timpani's recording is clear and vibrant, so at least the sound is terrific. ~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide
